Updated
The best camera bag for a gorilla trek is a comfortable hiking backpack of about 20–30 litres with a padded camera insert or a dedicated camera backpack with a hip belt, plus a waterproof rain cover and a dry bag inside.
You will climb steep, muddy slopes, push through wet vegetation and sometimes use your hands to hold on, so the bag must sit close to your body, leave both hands free and keep gear dry. Shoulder bags and hard cases are awkward in the forest. On game drives, a smaller bag or a padded insert on the vehicle seat works well.
What the forest does to your gear
Bwindi is wet even in the drier months. Mist, drips from the canopy and sudden showers soak everything, and you may slip and land on your pack. Bags get pressed against muddy banks and dragged through nettles and thorns, and humidity can fog lenses when you move from a cool valley into warm air. A good bag keeps your camera protected, dry and accessible for the one hour with the gorillas, which passes quickly.
Backpacks
A backpack with a hip belt spreads the weight and stays stable when you scramble. Camera backpacks with back-panel access let you reach your gear without putting the bag down in the mud, and some have side access for a quick lens change. A regular hiking daypack with a padded camera cube inside is a cheaper alternative and also carries water, a rain jacket and lunch.
Look for a built-in or separate rain cover, which is essential, and a capacity that fits one body, one or two lenses and your other trek kit. If you hire a porter, they will carry the bag between stops and hand it to you when you reach the gorillas.
Keeping gear dry
Even a weather-resistant bag can let water in through zips and seams in heavy rain, so pack the camera and lenses in a dry bag or a zip-lock bag inside the backpack, with a few silica gel sachets. Bring a rain sleeve for the camera itself, or a simple plastic cover, so you can keep shooting in drizzle. A microfibre cloth and a lens hood help keep water off the front element. Let gear acclimatise inside the bag before opening it in a warmer, humid place to reduce fogging.
Weight and what to carry
Carry only what you need: one camera body, one main lens, perhaps a second lens or your phone for wide shots, two spare batteries, spare memory cards and the cloth. Leave tripods behind, as there is no space to set them up in the undergrowth. Our guides to the best lens for gorilla photography and camera batteries help you choose.
On game drives and flights
On game drives, dust is the main enemy rather than rain. Keep gear in a closed bag on the seat or floor, and use a bean bag or a soft bag on the roof hatch to steady long lenses. On domestic flights to Bwindi, baggage is limited to about 15 kg in total, including camera gear, so a soft camera backpack that fits under the seat is ideal; see our guide to domestic flights.
Practise before you go
Pack your bag at home and walk up a steep hill with it, ideally in the rain. Check that the straps are comfortable, the rain cover fits and you can reach your camera quickly. For other kit, see our gorilla trekking packing list and gorilla photography tips.
Frequently asked questions
A 20–30 litre backpack with a hip belt and padded camera insert, a rain cover and a dry bag inside.
Yes. Porters carry daypacks and hand them to you when you reach the gorillas.
No. There is no room to use one in the undergrowth.
Use a rain cover on the bag, a dry bag inside, a rain sleeve on the camera and silica gel sachets.
